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Ibrox giants Rangers are reportedly closing in on their first signing of the upcoming transfer window as Giovanni van Bronckhorst already gets to work…

What’s the talk?

According to DH Les Sports, the Gers are in ‘notable’ talks to sign Zulte Waregem defensive midfielder Abdoulaye Sissako this summer.

The report claims that the Belgian outfit want to extend his contract by another year but the player is keen to leave and is now engaging in discussions with the Scottish giants as he looks to make the switch to Glasgow.

Gio will surely be buzzing

Gio van Bronckhorst will surely be buzzing with this news for multiple reasons.

Firstly, it shows that Ross Wilson is already hard at work at trying to improve the Dutchman’s squad heading into next season. Despite there being plenty still to play for this term, the Gers chief is making calls and planning ahead to ensure that business is done as quickly as possible once the window opens.

This will, hopefully, give Rangers the best chance of having a successful summer as it will prevent them from rushing around at the end of August and panic-buying players. Van Bronckhorst will, therefore, be delighted with the proactive approach from his sporting director.

He will also be buzzing with the prospect of a promising addition to the team. Sissako has made 2.5 tackles and interceptions and won 4.4 duels per game for Waregem, whilst also completing 81% of his passes. This suggests that he is reliable in possession and is a battler in the middle of the park as he attempts to win the ball back on a regular basis.

The gem has been capped 14 times by France at U19 level and racked up 58 matches in the top-flight of Belgian football, after playing 36 matches in Ligue 2 for Auxerre. This shows that he has a wealth of experience at a decent standard of football.

At the age of 23, he also has the potential to improve as a player. Van Bronckhorst can get excited by the prospect of working with the Frenchman to develop his game over the course of the season, and future campaigns, whilst having him compete with the likes of James Sands, Ryan Jack and John Lundstram for a spot in the starting XI.

He appears on course to be the club’s first signing of the summer window and van Bronckhorst will surely be delighted if that is the case…

AND in other news, Body blow: Van Bronckhorst now set for huge Rangers disaster over £27k-p/w “rock”…

Graeme Swann insists there will be no hangover from England’s Ashes-retaining heroics in Melbourne as they eye a first series win in Australia in 24 years

Peter English01-Jan-2011Graeme Swann insists there will be no hangover from England’s Ashes-retaining heroics in Melbourne as they eye a first series win in Australia in 24 years. The tourists partied hard after holding on to the trophy at the MCG but Swann, who details some of the exploits in his latest video diary, said everyone had re-focused on finishing the Test campaign on a high.”It’s been sorted out already,” Swann said after training at the SCG. “We haven’t had celebrations going on for many days. We had one night out after the game, you should celebrate a Test victory and an Ashes-retaining victory heavily. I tried to a lead a merry dance, but that was one night and we’ve moved on.”England will face an unfamiliar Australian line-up after the captain Ricky Ponting was ruled out with a broken finger. That has provided Michael Clarke with his first game in charge and Usman Khawaja, the No.3, and Michael Beer, the spinner, are both expected to debut. It should mean that England have a huge advantage with all their experience, but Swann remains wary of so many news faces.”On one hand there is a whole pile of pressure on them because it is a New Year’s Test match and they will be shaking like big dogs, but on the other hand coming in for your first game can be the best time you ever play because you don’t know what it is all about,” he said. “You’ve not got the pressure on your back … You have to hope it goes the first way as you don’t want two people on debut and one getting a five-for and the other a hundred.”Swann has 13 wickets for the series and has been satisfied with his contributions in the wins in Adelaide and Melbourne, but he starts this Test with different expectations on him. This pitch is traditionally a slow bowler’s surface and England will look to him to provide significant damage.”You always look forward to bowling on pitches renowned for spin, but that can bring pressure as well if people expect it to turn square like Sydney did 15 years ago,” he said. “I’m reliably informed by people in Australia that it doesn’t turn like it used to, but it will offer some assistance later on in the game.”Swann’s 64 Test wickets were the most in 2010 and he has been a key man in a series of England successes. “It’s been pretty much a dream year,” he said. “I got married in January, won the Twenty20World Cup [in May], retained the Ashes in December. If 2011 can be anything like that, I will be over the moon. It’s been a dream period for me.”We’ve played some very good cricket and there are not many England players who can say they have played in two Ashes, won one, retained the other and won a [Twenty20] World Cup. I’m pretty chuffed the way the last 12 months have gone.”Swann is not sitting back enjoying the view because there is still work to be done to ensure this side is the first since Mike Gatting’s in 1986-87 to win the Ashes in Australia. “In South Africa last year I thought I’d draw a line under the end of the year and we got absolutely hammered at the Wanderers,” he said. “I’m going to draw a line under this series after the series and hopefully we can win 3-1.”

Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani has made a decision concerning the future of Kalvin Phillips.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Star, who claim that Radrizzani is not prepared to offer the defensive midfielder a new contract until the conclusion of the Premier League season, as Leeds’ status as a top-flight club appears increasingly uncertain following Everton’s 1-0 win over Chelsea last weekend.

The report goes on to state that, should the Whites ultimately suffer relegation back to the Championship, not only will they be unable to offer the England international the £100k-per-week wage he is looking for in a new deal at Elland Road, but the club will also have no choice but to cash in on the 26-year-old.

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Finally, the report claims that Liverpool, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have all enquired about the signing of the Leeds academy graduate, while the Daily Mail recently reported that Radrizzani and Victor Orta would be willing to accept an offer of around £60m for the Whites midfielder this summer.

Supporters will be devastated

Considering just how important a part of the Leeds side Phillips has become in recent years, the news that Radrizzani is holding off on his offer of a new deal until the end of the current campaign certainly does not appear to bode well for the long-term future of the 26-year-old at Elland Road.

Indeed, while injuries have hampered Phillips’ 2021/22 campaign, the £45m-rated deep-lying playmaker proved just how crucial he is to the Whites over his 29 Premier League appearances last term, making an average of 1.6 interceptions, 2.6 tackles, 1.7 clearances and winning 5.3 duels – at a success rate of 52% – per game.

The £38k-per-week dynamo also impressed going forwards, scoring one goal, registering two assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as completing an average of 1.2 key passes, 4.7 long balls and 41 passes per fixture.

These metrics saw the 26-year-old average a quite astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.21, not only ranking him as the club’s best performer in the top flight but also as the ninth-best midfielder in the league as a whole.

As such, while the vast majority of Leeds supporters will likely admit that, should the Whites indeed suffer relegation to the second tier this season, it will be a near-impossible task for the club to keep hold of a player of Phillips’ ability, the fact that Radrizzani already appears to be planning for life without the midfielder is sure to have left the Elland Road faithful devastated.

AND in other news: Orta can finally axe £55k-p/w “schoolboy” as Leeds plot bid for £15.3m-rated “beast”

Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on a deal to bring Sam Johnstone to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Mirror, who claim that Tottenham are now set to land the West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper on a free transfer at the end of the current campaign, as Manchester United have now decided not to pursue a deal to bring the 29-year-old back to Old Trafford this summer.

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The report goes on to state that the England international’s availability on a free makes him an attractive proposition to both Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici, with Spurs looking to bring in a quality addition between the sticks in order to provide Hugo Lloris with both backup to and competition for his starting spot in Antonio Conte’s side.

A Paratici masterclass

Considering the fact that, upon West Brom’s relegation from the Premier League last season, the Black Country side placed a £20m asking price on the goalkeeper’s head amid interest from the likes of Leeds United, Manchester United, West Ham United and Watford, should Paratici go on to land the 29-year-old on a free this summer, it would represent something of a big coup for Spurs.

While it is true that Johnstone has not enjoyed the best campaign of his career over his 36 appearances in the Championship this season, the three-time capped international undoubtedly proved his ability at the highest level of the English game last time out.

Indeed, over his 37 Premier League fixtures in 2020/21, the £7.2m-rated shot-stopper was one of Albion’s standout performers, keeping six clean sheets and making an average of 4.5 saves per game – by far and away the most of any ‘keeper in the league – with these returns seeing the £32.5k-per-week talent earn a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.03 – ranking him as the Baggies’ second-best player in the top flight.

As such, it is clear for all to see just how talented a goalkeeper the player Gary Lineker dubbed “unbelievable” is, leading us at Football FanCast to believe that, should Paratici indeed secure the 29-year-old as Spurs’ first signing this summer, it would be yet another transfer masterclass by the Italian sporting director.

AND in other news: “Expect to see”: Eccleshare drops £145m Spurs summer claim, supporters will be buzzing

Baroda captain Pinal Shah has defended his decision to bowl on a dry, grassless Moti Bagh wicket on the first day of the Ranji Trophy final, saying he expected some moisture to help the seamers

Abhishek Purohit at Moti Bagh11-Jan-2011Baroda captain Pinal Shah has defended his decision to bowl on a dry, grassless Moti Bagh wicket that played low and slow on the first day of the Ranji Trophy final, saying he expected some moisture to help the seamers. Rajasthan adopted an extremely cautious approach, but were strongly placed at 198 for 3, and would have been in an even better position were it not for captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar’s late dismissal.”It looked to be a batting wicket. Earlier we were going to play only two seamers. But in the morning, we felt there was some moisture around despite the grass having been removed,” Pinal said. “That’s why we played an extra allrounder in Abhijit Karambelkar. They have some batsmen who score big, like Aakash Chopra, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Ashok Menaria, and we thought if we could get them in the morning, it would be great for us.”Mukesh Narula, the Baroda coach, told ESPNcricinfo that it was a last minute decision to bowl and explained it was a combination of the conditions and a wariness of Rajasthan’s batting that dictated the choice. “The first thing I noticed this [Tuesday] morning was that there was dew around, and we felt that we could utilise it,” he said. “Also, Rajasthan’s batting has been in good form, and we thought there was a chance they could chase down whatever we would manage to put up.” Having played three seamers, Baroda would have certainly wanted a better return from them than the 46 wicketless overs they bowled. “I think our fast bowlers could have done a much better job today,” Narula said.Rajasthan were pleasantly surprised by Baroda’s decision, as they themselves would have batted first. “I guess the only reason they didn’t bat was because they might have been wary of our seam attack of Pankaj Singh and Deepak Chahar,” Aakash Chopra, the Rajasthan opener, said. “I can’t think of any other reason, as they had removed all the grass from the wicket, which was very dry.”Kanitkar’s wicket towards the end evened things out slightly on a dreary first day, but the Rajasthan captain was satisfied with his side’s approach. “I should not have got out. But I am happy with the way we played,” he said. “It was not an easy wicket to bat on as the ball was keeping low and not coming on. And once they knew we were well set, they stopped attacking, and started bowling to defensive fields.”Rajasthan are eyeing a score of at least 400 now, after the steady start, and Kanitkar felt that despite losing himself and Chopra, they had the batting line-up to pile on the runs. “Ideally, I would be really happy with 550, but a minimum of 400 is needed,” Kanitkar said. “Most of our batsmen have been among the runs. And we are playing the finals, so everyone should be ready to do the job.”Contrary to Baroda’s choice to play an extra seamer, the dry nature of the surface prompted Rajasthan to leave out steady third seamer Sumit Mathur in favour of offspinner Madhur Khatri. “Sumit has bowled his heart out throughout the season. I feel very bad that he could not play this game. But that is what the wicket was demanding,” Kanitkar said.While both sides have gone in with two specialist spinners, Chopra felt the Rajasthan new-ball duo of Pankaj and Chahar could still be dangerous on this track. “Pankaj is six-foot plus, and from that height, on a wicket that is keeping low at times, it [the bounce] can become very uncertain for a batsman,” he said. “And Chahar does not depend on the wicket; he generates a lot of swing in the air.”Baroda are hoping they can get something out of the wicket tomorrow morning. “The first session is important,” Narula said. “If we can get a few wickets, we are right back in the game as they have gone very slowly till now.”

As if Virender Sehwag’s batting strike-rate of 102 over a decade in one-day cricket wasn’t enough to frighten bowlers, he has now set his sights on batting long during the World Cup

Siddarth Ravindran in Bangalore11-Feb-2011As if Virender Sehwag’s batting strike-rate of 102 over a decade in one-day cricket wasn’t enough to frighten bowlers, he has now set his sights on batting long during the World Cup. During his astonishing double-century against Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan in the Galle Test in 2008, Sehwag carried his bat but he is yet to bat out the full quota of overs in one-dayers, something he hopes to achieve.”I think I never played 50 overs in one-day cricket, maximum I faced is 42-44 overs,” a relaxed Sehwag said in Bangalore. “This time I’ll try to bat 50 overs if I can. I have been trying for 10 years, I’m still trying.” Emulating Sachin Tendulkar, who made the first and only double-century so far in the format when he played out 50 overs against South Africa last year, wasn’t a target for Sehwag though. “Sachin has played 50 overs many times, not just once, but he could make 200 only once because it is not easy to make 200 in a one-dayer.”Nearly a third of Sehwag’s innings have been single-digit efforts, a proportion he aims to reduce with a more measured approach early in the innings. “I have Yuvraj [Singh], MS Dhoni, [Suresh] Raina, [Virat] Kohli and Yusuf [Pathan] in the middle order, so I can go after the bowling straight from the first ball, but nowadays I’m a giving a little bit of respect for first 4-5 overs,” he said. “Then I can take on the bowlers to make sure I give a good start so even if I get out the middle order can take their time and then go after the bowling.”This will be the first World Cup since Twenty20 become a big-money phenomenon, and Sehwag says the rise of cricket’s newest format will mean teams batting first will have to set bigger targets to feel safe. “If you get a good batting track, 320 or 300 will be a par score in the World Cup,” he said. “IPL changed a lot of batsmen’s mindsets, because batsmen now think we can chase 10 run an over anytime. Before teams thought you have lost the game if they needed to chase 10 an over, but now with the power-hitters in the team, they will chase it and that will be very exciting to see in the World Cup”Injuries and the team management’s decision to rest him from some recent series has meant Sehwag goes into the World Cup not having played a one-dayer in more than five months. He missed the recent series against South Africa due to a shoulder problem, and though he is satisfied with his recovery, he is yet to start bowling. “I’m taking regular treatment, so hopefully it will be fine when the match comes,” he said. “I don’t want to bowl in the nets and get injured again, so when I feel my shoulder is better I can start bowling.”Shoulder trouble ruled Sehwag out of the past three global ICC tournaments – the Champions Trophy in 2009, and the previous two World Twenty20s – and India have had early exits in each of those, despite entering as title contenders. This World Cup, too, India are one of the front-runners. What lessons has the team learnt from past failures? “The only thing we learnt is that we are not favourites.”

Sky Sports have provided a live TV update on Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba amid links to rivals Manchester City.

The Lowdown: Pogba’s Man City links

United’s club-record signing looks set to leave Old Trafford for free when his contract expires at the end of June.

The Frenchman may not line out in a Red Devils shirt again after missing the last four matches with a calf problem. He could remain in England, though, with reports linking Manchester City with a shock move for the 29-year-old.

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The Daily Mail revealed on Friday evening that Pep Guardiola wants a new versatile midfielder to replace Fernandinho, with Pogba on a list of potential targets.

The Latest: Sky Sports update

Sky Sports cited reports linking the 2018 World Cup winner with a move to the Etihad Stadium live on-air on Saturday morning.

They duly added further information, claiming the 29-year-old could remain in England, stating: ‘We’ve been told Pogba will consider every serious offer put to him and hasn’t ruled out staying in the Premier League.’

Sky Sports also stated that Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are interested in the midfielder’s services along with City.

The Verdict: Surely not…

City will have to wait until the transfer window officially opens to make their move for Pogba, while the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus and PSG could strike pre-agreement terms right now.

The France international hasn’t had a great deal of success in the Premier League and has made just 16 starts this season, so it would be a shock if he made the move across Manchester to the Etihad, especially considering the vast talent at Guardiola’s disposal.

It looks as if there is a chance it could happen, though, so Pogba’s next destination is certainly one to keep an eye on following developments in the past 48 hours.

In other news: Man Utd want to hijack Man City’s move for ‘explosive’ star who ‘has no weakness’. 

Rahul Dravid has been included in the MCC side to play County Champions Nottinghamshire in Abu Dhabi

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2011Rahul Dravid has been included in the MCC side to play County Champions Nottinghamshire in Abu Dhabi as the English domestic season again begins in the warmer climate of Abu Dhabi. Dravid will be joined by England wicketkeeper Steven Davies and the side will be led by former Australia opener Chris Rogers who has joined Middlesex.Other notable inclusions for the four-day game at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium which, as in 2010, will be played under floodlights using a pink ball, are the Afghanistan pair of Hamid Hassan and Mohammad Nabi who are former MCC Young Cricketers. The former England fast bowler Simon Jones was originally selected, but had to withdraw through injury.Sourav Ganguly will replace Dravid, who is also part of MCC’s world cricket committee, for a Twenty20 event which follows the four-day match and also features Nottinghamshire, Durham and a Fly Emirates XI.Nottinghamshire meanwhile have named a 15-man squad for the trip. New signing Ben Phillips and academy graduates Jake Ball and Scott Elstone are amongst the group although Andre Adams, Darren Pattinson and Adam Voges won’t travel as they complete their domestic duties in the southern hemisphere.Andy Carter is the other notable absentee following his call to join the England Lions tour but Chris Read, Samit Patel, Paul Franks and Mark Wagh will all travel.”It’s an honour to be involved and the facilities and opportunities that will be provided for us in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are exceptional,” said Nottinghamshire’s acting director of cricket, Wayne Noon. “There are places up for grabs although we have a firm idea of the core of our side and one or two players will probably find themselves in the team at the start of the season based on the form they show in the meantime.”The floodlit match will continue MCC’s role in developing a ball that can be used for day/night first-class cricket and ultimately Test matches and includes modifications from the 2010 version. Last year there was criticism about the green seam but that has now been replaced by white stitching which the developers, Kookaburra, believe will make the ball more successful.While Nottinghamshire and the county-based MCC players will get valuable pre-season practice during the game it is prospect of floodlit Test cricket that remains a priority. “The fixture also provides a perfect platform for us to conduct valuable research to aid the development of the world game,” John Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket, said. “In 2010 while the Melbourne Ashes Test attracted near record crowds, the contest between the top two ranked sides – South Africa and India in Durban – recorded ticket sales of less than 15 percent of the total sold at the MCG.”We felt that we got some very positive results from the first day-night Champion County match last year, and hope that this evidence will soon translate into day-night Test cricket, which should help to re-invigorate the five-day game.”MCC squad Chris Rogers (capt), Stephen Moore, Rahul Dravid (four-day only), Stephen Peters, Dawid Malan, Mohammad Nabi, Steven Davies, Hamid Hassan, Gary Keedy, Paul Muchall, Steve Kirby, Toby Roland-Jones, Sourav Ganguly (T20 only), Omar Ali (12th man)Nottinghamshire squad Ali Brown, Jake Ball, Neil Edwards, Scott Elstone, Luke Fletcher, Paul Franks, Alex Hales, Steven Mullaney, Akhil Patel, Samit Patel, Ben Phillips, Chris Read (capt & wk), Charlie Shreck, Mark Wagh, Graeme White

Manchester United are interested in securing the services of Stuttgart’s Croatian left-back, Borna Sosa.

What’s the word?

That is according to German outlet Kicker, as per the Metro, who claim that Erik ten Hag is a big fan of the 24-year-old and would like him at Manchester United for when he takes over ready for next season.

The report states that Sosa could be available for around €25m (£21.4m).

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The next David Beckham?

With the Croatian’s contract expiring in 2025, this represents a fair valuation and gives Manchester United the perfect opportunity to sign a high calibre player for very little expense, something the new manager would surely love.

As a left-back who is capable of playing as a left-midfielder, Sosa has made himself a regular at Stuttgart ever since his move from Dinamo Zagreb back in 2018.

In his first full season as a starter, the Croatian bagged eight assists in 27 outings.

Sosa has received plaudits from Stuttgart’s sporting director Sven Mislintat who once said: “Borna Sosa reminds me of David Beckham.”

His stats reflect his flair as a player, with the left-back boasting an average of 3.62 shot-creating actions per 90 with 27.88 touches in the attacking third per game also.

For this attacking excellence though, his defensive stats falter, with the Croatian averaging around 1.16 tackles per 90.

The 24-year-old has mainly operated in a three-at-the-back system which has most certainly given him more licence to attack.

Whilst this will have been good for his positional development, it remains to be seen as to whether ten Hag would feel he is defensively sound enough to play as a full-back in his system.

There is a lot of room for improvement in the out-of-possession aspect of his game and with Brandon Williams set to return to his parent club, there will be a lot of competition with Luke Shaw and Alex Telles also competing for minutes.

In other news: “Manchester United are..” – Romano drops exciting transfer claim, ten Hag will love it